Virat Kohli has dismissed any criticism of his strike rate against spin in the IPL, after scoring a match-winning 70 not out off 44 balls against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Kohli's innings, along with an unbeaten 100* off 41 balls from Will Jacks, enabled RCB to achieve their target of 201 with four overs and nine wickets in hand.
Kohli achieved a personal milestone by scoring 500 runs in an IPL season for the seventh time during his innings against GT. Kohli entered the game with a strike rate of 161.62 against fast bowlers and 123.57 against spinners in IPL 2024. He was able to outperform GT's spin attack. Kohli scored 61 runs against Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Sai Kishore at a strike rate of 179, his highest against spin in a T20 innings (minimum 10 balls) since 2016. Twenty-two of those 60 runs were also scored via sweeps, a shot that he does not employ regularly against spin.
Kohli said:
"I am not quite sure if you've been in that situation yourself to sit and speak about the game from a box. I don't really think it's the same thing [as playing out there]. So for me, it's just about doing my job. People can talk about their own ideas and assumptions of the game, but those who have done it day in [and] day out know what's happening, and it's kind of a muscle memory for me now."
Despite securing a nine-wicket victory with 24 balls to spare, RCB remains at the foot of the points table, having achieved three wins and seven losses to date. However, they have won their last two matches, after winning only one of the opening eight.
Kohli made a similar comment last year, after scoring a century against Gujarat Titans in what turned out to be the final match of RCB's season. Earlier this season, he stated that he still had the ability to perform well in T20s after leading RCB to a win over Punjab Kings.